Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 6, Number 68, Decatur, Adams County, 19 March 1908 — Page 1

DECATUR DAI LY DEMOCRAT.

— Volume VI. Number 68

ANEWPROCEEDURE < Is Now Necessary in Taking Out Final Naturaliza- 1 ( tion Papers < t - ( GEO. ZEHR’S PETITION ' t Will Be Issued September f 7th Next—Makes Extra < Work for County Clerk ! i JGeorge Zehr. of Wabash township, j filed his petition for final naturaliza- ( ■ tion papers, at the clerk's office today, i Peterson & Moran appearing as his * attorneys. He will be granted the ‘ 1 papers on September 7th, the first day ( of the fall term of court. The new . pßceedttre by ' which naturalization t papers are granted are much more ' complicated than formerly and require several hours of the clerk’s time. | However, he receives an extra fee for j sMDe. Mr. Zehr is a farmer and was i born November 11th, 1842. near the 1 city Dalm in Germany. He came to ’ the United States May 8, 1866, on ’ the vessel Sierra Nevada. He first 1 •fAclared his intention of becoming a‘X’. S. citizen on January 3, 1901, in I Decatur. He has a wife and nine children, is not a disbeliever or OPS' jfosed to organized government, is not arpolygamist and renounces absolutely abd forever all allegiance to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereign, particlarly the king of Gerk many. The naturalization , department of the United States now has full charge of this line of work, the ■ atate of Indiana having nothing toll do with it whatever. I a— DIVORCES ALARM JUDGE FOX. Richmond Jurist is Preparing a Leeture on Subject. I Richmond, Ind.. March 18. —Judge Hf Henry C. Fox of the Wayne circuit court, is alarmed over the increase of -divorces, the many suits filed in K’Wayne county being the immediate ; s cause of his alarm. Judge Fox holds t that the courts cannot be blamed for fc- the situation and that it is the duty IBlrof the legislature to pass a law that Trill make it possible for the courts to L Shave some recourse against the tide Eof divorce. Nine new divorce cases K have been put on the Wayne county K docket within, a short time. f Judge Fox is engaged in preparing H a lecture on “Marriage and Divorce.” < -which he will present, before some loy cal organization and in which he will E give at length his views on these two He declares that Jegisla- '. tors know that four-fifths of their constitutnets ar e favorable to divorce legislation. but that they neglect to work for the passage of a proper divorce law. |E o — HAVE YOU ARRANGED THIS? Pay Your Paper in Advance Says the U. S. Authorities. April Ist is nearly here and there are still a number of our regulaY subscribers who have not paid in advance as the new law provides. We want your business, want you to keep on reading the Democrat, but the law I is to be enforced rigidly by the United States postal authorities, leaving us - no alternative but to collect- the mon- [ ey due us on subscription or stop the | paper you should take care of this ■ matter. We are giving away the E greatest premium ever offered, a $2.00 t chart, containing more good informaI tion than the ordinary atlas. We have I only about 200 of these left. So come ■ in quick if you want one. — INLAID FLOORS ARE COMPLETE Expert Workmen Complete Contract at the Carrol Home. The expert workmen from Indianapi oils, who have been putting in the par quet inlaid floors at the E. L. Carroll I home, completed their wok yesterday. j These floors are perfect and without doubt excel anything of this kind in - the city. Mr. Carroll will move into : his new home next week. He has im- [ proved the residence in various ways i and later in th e season will add a K- twelve foot varanda to the house and I also make some other improvements ■ which will add to the appearance of i the residence.

GREAT MASONIC MEETING HELD Scottish Rite Conclave at Fort Wayne Yesterday. Probably the greatest conclave of Scottish Rite Masons of northern Indiana held in recent years came to a close last evening in the Masonic temple with a banquet and a feast of oratory and with selections by the Lodge of Perfection chorus interspersed with the speeches. The banquet followed a day devoted to conferring the higher degrees and formed a fitting close for the convocation. The arrangements were in charge of a committee and nothing was overlooked to add to the perfection of the appointments, the elegance of the menu or the pleasure of the occasion. Judge yAllen Zollara presided as toastmaster and the speakers of the evening were Attorney William Ballou and Judge Richard K. Erwin, of this city, and the Hon. William L. Taylor,i of Indianapolis. All the speeches teemed with praise of th e nobility of the Masonic fraternity and were seasoned with bits of humor and all the speakers were warmly applauded. Only Masons attended the banquet. The degree work of the convocation consisted yesterday of ceremonies by Darius council, Princes of Jerusalem, in th e fifteenth and sixteenth degrees in the morning, and the conferring of the seventeenth and eighteenth degrees by Emanuel chapter. Rose Croix in the afternoon. —Fort Wayne JournalGazette. ,

WORK HAS STARTED Myers & Davis Begin on the Ward Fence Company Contract ORDERS COMING IN Average About S9OO Each Day—Buildings Will Be Rushed Myers & Davis have begun their contract of constructing the concrete foundations at the Ward Fence company’s new factory buildings and expect to have same complete within two weeks. They hive been retarded some by the wet weather, but the sewer will be completed this week and this it is hoped will make it possible to push the work along. Mr. J. ’F. Adamson, of Hartford Citv, who has the contract for the brick and carpenter work, has four car load of lumber and a part of the brick on th e ground and will begin work as soon as Myers & Davis are finished. The company hope to begin moving by May 15th and to be in operation by June Ist at the very farthest. Orders for Ward fence continue to pour in from every part of the globe, far exceeding former years, and much larger than expected. Some idea of their business was evidenced this morning when the early mails alone produced orders amounting to over S7OO and this was just an ordinary day. During th e first three days of the week the orders totaled over $2,700. This concern will be one of the largest in the country within a few years.

NEXT LECTURE COURSE EVENT Attorney George E. Clark, One of the Best, is Coming. The next number of the K. of C. lecture course will be the Hon. George E. Clark, who comes to us highly recommended as an entertainer, his subject “An Untitled Adventurer” deals with life of the great Napoleon, and while giving the great French soldier due credit for his abilities and accomplishments, Mr. Clark pointed out that his life has been devoted to the achievement of results calculated to satisfy a boundless ambition, and that he had done nothing to promote the good of his fellow man. The Buffalo Evening Times says: Mr. Clark was at his best. His language was choice. His ideas in his lecture were appropriate, and he spoke forcibly, but I impressively. Mr. Clark is an ideal orator and an honor to the lecture platform. o— A number of Westinghouse electricians were In the city today inspecting the motors used by the Fort Wayne & Springfield Interurban company.

Decatur, Indiana- Thursday Evening March, I 9 1908.

CITY IS ENJOINED Judge Anderson of the Federal Court Says Peddlers Cannot Be Licensed ORDINANCES INVALID Because They Interfere With Interstate Commerce Laws —Far Reaching Effect A decision of wide-reaching effect was announced by Judge A. B. Anderson in federal court. It is that city and town councils may not compel concerns from outside the state to pay ' a license fee for soliciting business or 1 delivering merchandise. The case in which this decision was is that of the Interstate Text-Book company against the city of Evansville, asking an injunction. Judge Anderson enjoined the city from enforcing an ordinance requiring a license to be ‘ bought by agents of the company. He held that such an ordinance is not valid under the interstate commerce laws. The city was restraind from “interfering with the business of the company in making solicitations, distributing advertising matter and making deliveries of merchandise, by requiring a license” for wagons or agents, and from fining persons who so engage without buying a license. This declaration of the court that outside concerns have a right to solicit business concerns and make sales without paying for a license is expected to put an end to an old question. Merchants in Decatur and in every city of the state, big or little, have insisted on the requirement of a license for peddlers and agents, and city councils have not failed to pass the necessary ordinances. The local merchants (have argued that the outsider should pay something to offset the taxes that the local man pays. The question has never before reached the federal court in this state.

FULL OF POLITICS Most Preachers Are Shrewd and Full of Political Tricks AT ANDERSON Several Good Places and Delegateships to Baltimore to be Disposed of There Is always lots of politics in a Methodist conference—not the kind that looks to the elevation of a democrat or a republican to office, but the kind that concerns the status of individual ministers in the list of appointments, etc. Preachers are as shrewd as the secular politicians and as full of tricks, although the tricks are generally of a kind that are legitimate. Cliques are organized for this or that purpose and the preacher who goes to conference with nothing to back him but his religious zeal is likely to get the leavings when the “pie” is distributed. The coming jeonference at Anderson promises to afford many illustrations of keen politics. A desirable plum or two is to be disposed of. The position of delegate to represent the laity in the national conference at Baltimore is one of them. It was this question that a few months ago stirred up a big rumpus in the southern Indiana conference, which turned down Vice President Fairbanks for delegate because he had served a cocktail to President Roosevelt while the latter was a guest at his home last summer. o C. F. True received a letter today from Winona giving the grades of his son Brice, who is going to school there. The grades were very creditable. J. B. Stoneburner will introduce an entirely new show at the Pictorium tonight and large crowds should see his entertainment. Next MLnday night another two and one-half dollar gold piece will be given away.

CLOVER LEAF SIGN AGREEMENT Will Join Other Roads on Telegraphers Wage Scale. It Is currently reported that the Chicago and Alton and the Clover Leaf had entered the combination of railroads centering in Chicago that has agreed to get a new wage schedule with the telegraph operators. The combination includes now nearly every railroad in the middle west; and the plan is to issue to the operators immediate notice that all existing wage schedules ar e cancelled, effective immediately. The conference will be asked with the telegraphers for the purpose of arranging a new scale of wages. The new law regarding hours is said to be the primary cause of the action. It is understood to be the purpose of the railroads to disregard overtime in so far as it effects the pay of telegraphers. Under the present schedule overtime is paid for prorata and the men receive not less than 25 cents per hour. Telegraphers’ pay is by the month and before the passage of the law the official working days consisted of twelve hours, and this time must be completed before overtime was allowed. Under the new law the work day is nine hours and it is only in cases of emergency that an operator may work longer than this. As the working day has been reduced to nine hours the railroads feel that they ought not to be required to pay for overtime In such cases. for mrsmoser A Surprise Was Carefully Planned and Delightfully Executed HIS OFFICE FORCE Were Entertained by Fred Mayer—Effie Miller’s Birthday Observed

Never was any one so taken by surprise as Mrs. John Moser, of north Second stret was. when a large number of her friends masked, stepped into her home last evening to spend the evening. An hour was very pleasantly spent in guessing the masqueraders after which games of all descriptions were played. A delicious two course luncheon was served by the hostess to her guests, who were; Messrs, and Mesdaines T. W. Watts, Samuel Shamp. Misses Katherine Watts, Mayme Campbell Brice, Myrtle France, of Pleasant Mills, Opal Robbins, of Van Wert; Mesdames John Everett, S. T. Hite, Messrs. Bill Frisinger. of Rockford, Ohio; J. C. Moser, of Wren, Ohio; Ed Coffee, Walter Witham, of Fort Wayne. Miss Ida Van Camp delightfully entertained the Misses Lilah Lachot and Bessie Baumgartner at a six o'clock supper last evening at her home on First street. <{» A number of young girl friends of Miss Effie Miller gathered at her home and celebrated her fourteenth birthday anniversary last evening. Various games were indulged in and at the close of the evening a dainty luncheon was served by the hostess. The guests were the Misses Lydia Kirsch Bernus DeWitt Hulda Mutchler. Flora Peters. Minnie Bogner, Ethel Fuhrman, Erna Schindler, Rosa Green, Lulu Gerber, Emma Weidler. The supper to be given by the Woman’s Home Missionary society of the M. E. church has been postponed from Tuesday to Thursday evening of next week. J. Fred Mayer played “mine host” to the Sun office force last evening at his hom € on east Mitchell street. Owing to sickness, all could not be there, but those that were certainly enjoyed themselves. St. Patrick’s day green was everywhere evident in the house decorations, as well as the personal. and the various contests showed the influence of the patron saint’s anniversary. Geo. B. Teal. F. E. Reeve and Ralph Whitford captured the prizes offered. Excellent refreshments were served and some flashlight pictures taken by J. Frank Cramer—Kendallville Sun.

BLY FURNACE HERE Mercer, Ohio, Men Were Here Yesterday Inspecting Decatur Furnace THOUGHT THE BEST Must Have a New Furnace for School House—Prospects Bright Marion Counterman, of Mercer, 0., brother-in-law of J. Q. Neptune and a Mr. Fast from the same place were in the city yesterday for the purpose of investigating the qualities of the Decatur furnace and before leaving they were convinced that it is absolutely the best on the market. These gentlemen are members of the school board at Mercer and as their school house burned last December, they are arranging to construct another. M. L. Smith, the hustling manager of th e Decatur Furnace factory visited their town and explained the make up of the furnace. Before leaving he invited them to come here and inspect same. The Invitation was, gladly accepted and the visitors were taken to the various places where the furnace has been installed and is in operation. The Teeple Brandyberry and Peterson clothing store was visited and these gentlemen were loud in their praise as to its merits. The Schafer Hardware company, North Ward school house and several other institutions were visited with the same result. Messrs. Counterman and Fast were favorably impressed and they will place the proposition before the people of their town for consideration. It is safe to say that they will purchase from heije as they are of the opinion that it is th e best on the market. The Mercer men state that people in their secion of the country have much to say about the excellent Decatur furnace.

WILLBECOLLECTED County Treasurer Will Soon Begin Campaign to Collect Delinquents I AS LAW PROVIDES Where Not Paid the Accounts Must Be Given to Prosecuting Attorney The county treasurer and his deputies are busy just now. completing the necessary preparation for sending official and final notices to all those delinquent on their taxes. These taxes must positively be pnid. In Adams county, according to the records in the treasurer’s office there are scores of delinquents who occupy a prominent plac e in the affairs of the community. The treasurer will notify one and all, rich and poor, high and low, including many who only owe poll tax, and who have allowed them to run for several years, informing them that unless they settle within a short tim e after said notice is given, the matter will be turned over to the prosecuting attorney, whose duty as provided by law to prosecute such parties and collect said accounts. It is estimated that if all the delinquent taxes due the county could be collected, the general tax rate would be reduced at least ten cents on each SIOO valuation. — oA CONGRESSIONAL RUMOR. LaPore. Ind., March 18—The report is current In the Eleventh congressional district that Congressman George W. Rauch will soon he married to Miss Good, a daughter of Dr. Charles Good of Warren, who won the republican congressional nomination in the memorable two days’ convention at Marion, in which 610 ballots were cast. Congressman Rauch will be unanimously nominated by the democrats, and the interesting situation will be presented of a father-in-law and son-in-law seeking the same office as the candidates of rival political parties.

INVESTIGATE JUSTICE’S COURTS An Effort to Increase the School Funds of the State. Through the ninety-two county school superintendents Fassett A. Cotton, state superintendent of public instruction, will investigate all justice courts of the state with a view to ascertaining why more money is not turned into the school fund. If necessary an effort will be made to have justices of the peace taken before the grand jury to explain their methods. When the task has been completed it is the hope of Mr. Cotton that the school fund will have been increased by thousands of dollars. Mr. Cotton has just mailed letters to all county superintendents, giving them specific instructions to be followed in investigating th e records. The county superintendents are requested, first, to take up with prosecuting attorneys, mayors and other officials the question of unpaid fines and fines which never reach the school fund. and. if possible, to interest all officials in the movement to increase the school fund. Mr. Cotton also informs the county superintendents that the law makes it their duty to examine the public records in their effort to find out just how much money, if any, is being withheld from the school fund. The law prescribes that these records shall always be open to the county superintend, nts, THE BILL MAY PASS Prospects Brighter for the Passage of the Aldrich Bill THE PORK BARREL A Fifteen Million Public Building Bill to Pass

Washington, March 19. —It is evi dent that the currency legislation situation has been greatly simplified by the elimination of the railroad bond provision from the Aldrich bill. The prospect now is that the bill will eventually get through the house. Even with the railroad bond feature out. the measure is not satisfactory to a majority of the house Republicans, but they say they realize that it must be the Aldrich bill or nothing. They do not desire to return to their constituents without som e legislation having been enacted. While the Fowler bill.which is now before "the house, is regarded with great favor, its friends admit that it probably could not get through the senate if the house should pass it. The program now is for th e house Republicans to hold a caucus after the Aldrich bill gets through the senate to decide what course to pursue. Washington, March 19. The house leaders have decided to let a public building bill carrying not more than $15,000,000 go through. The agreement is that the bill shall provide for illr creases in cost where blds show former appropriations were too small: for the erection of buildings on sites already purchased and for the purchase of a limited number of new sites. Washington, March 19. —Th 0 controller of the currency announces that the People's National bank, of Muncie.was placed in voluntary liquidation at the close of its business on March 14. ■ o SUFFERED A PAINFUL INJURY. Miss L. E. Springer, Trained Nurse, Slipped and Fell. Miss L. E. Springer the trained nurse from Fort Wayne, who has been taking care of Eli Presdorf for some time, was the victim of a painful accident this morning, when she fell and severely injured her limb. Miss Springer stepped outside the house and slipped on ice that was on the walk, falling hard, with the above consequences. The injured lady Ls a nurse of remarkable ability. When she assumed charge of Mr. Presdorf his condition was all but hopeless, but with her good care and the assistance of the physicians, he has become stronger and bright hopes are entertained for his recovery. Th e accident however, will be a sad blow to the family who have so much confidence In the nurse.

Price Two Cents

SPEAKS ON TRUSTS Representative Adair Again Heard in the Halls of Congress RIPS UP THE TRUSTS Advocates Repeal of the Dingley Tariff Law Washington. March 19.—“1 have already been advised by my friends that my position on public questions, and njy effort in behalf of the common people since congress met on December 2 last, is displeasing to the corporations, and if I care to be re elected I had better not advocate anything detrimental to their interests.” So spoke Representative Adair, of the Eighth Indiana district, in an attack on the trusts made by him in the house of representatives yesterday. He pointed out that the Sherman anti-trust law has been in effect eighteen years, and h e challenged the Republicans to point to an instance where that law has been sufficient to destroy a single trust. On the contrary, he said, they have multiplied until ther e are now more than 400 of them, with a combined capital of $10,000,000,000. He declared it to be noticeable that members of congress who are active against this special privileged class are seldom re-elected. Continuing, he said: “I represent a large agricultural and manufacturing district, and I know the people of my district hav e groaned under the burden imposed by the trusts. Take, for instance, the item of lumber. Every farmer of my district knows what effect the tariff on lumber and the formation of the lumber trust has had upon prices they are compelled to pay. "An investigation by Commissioner Smith shows that during the las* ton years the prices of all kinds of lumber has steadily increased, and that the diminishing supply is not entirely responsible for the increase. During 1906 the price of hemlock, advanced $2: whit e pine, $3; yellow pine. $4; poplar $5. In the last ten years the average price of maple has increased 17 per cent: oak 36 per cent; quartered oak 49 per cent; yellow pine 74 per cent, and hemlock 86 per cent. “The lumber trust Is the mast complete of all the great combinations. It is operated without a holding company or any other outward indication of being a monopoly. It fixes the prices for all lumber. “And wherever a more stringent law is proposed some representative of the trusts is always ready to insist that we have an anti-trust law and that no further legislation is needed on the subject. That practically all th e necessities of life are contr lied by trusts no one will deny. That the people are compelled to pay exorbitant and burdensome, is admitted. Then why not pass a law that will dissolve every trust doing business in this country. It can be done. There is no quetion about it. Let us make this once more a government of the people and by the people instead of a government of the trusts and by the trusts through th e enactment of a law that would not only impose a heavy fine hut also imprisonment for any one found guilty of entering Into any agreement in restraint of trade. “Is it not time we were repealing the Dingley tariff law. under which and by reason of which all trusts have been organized, and placing on our federal statutes an antitrust law that is not a makeshift, but a law that means something, a law that will give the government the right to put its violators in the penitentiary. “You will never suppress trusts under a law that gives only the right to assess a fine against the corporations, but when you add imprisonment you will make it effective." —o —~ ’ Mrs. Frank Scoles and family from Van Buren arrived to visit Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Scoles east of Berne, for a few days visit. Mrs. W. H. Pletcher and baby arrived home Grover Hill. Ohio, where she has been visiting her parents for a couple of weeks. Mrs. B. A. Winnas and children left at noon for Pleasant Mills to visit her husband's parents. While here she was the guest of Mrs. Henry Fuhrman.